Behind My Hand

This death process is yoga, not the hundreds of postures and breathing exercises. When the thought process stops splitting itself in two, the body goes through a clinical death. First the death must take place, then yoga begins. Yoga is actually the body's skill in bringing itself back from the state of clinical death. This is supposed to have happened to a few people, like Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Ramana Maharshi. I wasn't there and have no interest or resources to find out if this is so. This yoga of renewal is an extraordinary thing. (UG Krishnamurti in Mind is Myth)

From UG Krishnamurti: Q: Where do all these thoughts come from? A: They are all over. There is a thought sphere in which we are all functioning. But one question (I don't ask myself that question because there is no point in posing that question to myself, nor am I interested in finding an answer for it) for which the answer is not very clear is: do these thoughts come from outside passed on from generation to generation, or are they also transmitted through the genes? I have every reason to believe that the totality of knowledge is not only transmitted through our education in all forms, shapes, sizes, and degrees, but also, to a greater extent, through the genes. Now they are saying that the capacity to learn not only languages but a language is genetically controlled. (Thought Is Your Enemy)

I have had trouble posting to the blog and replying to comments recently. Posts seem to be resolved but not comments. In answer to a recent comment on the "Arunachala" post, there are no longer any meetings organised here. However, in the past, Ramana meetings were often advertised on the University noticeboards. That would be worth checking out. Good luck.

Bhartrhari writes in Vākyapadīya, ś abde ś vev āś rit ā ś aktir vi ś vasy ā sya nibandhani / yannetrah pratibh ā tm ā yam bhedarupah pratiyate // ( VP , 1. 118) “The power which resides in words is the sole cause of this universe. Led by the  intuitive (unerring) self, this appearance of division is recognised.” (trans. MWright)

Sabdapurvayoga is the return to that state prior to the arising of the ego. This method of attaining the Self traces the mind back to its source. At that point, the unreality of the ego is discovered. This is the true purification of the word. 

“As the sun shines at all times even when we cannot see it, so Arunachala, as Self alone, shines in the hearts of all living beings, irrespective of any limited perspective. As the life-giving sun seems to ‘appear’ at dawn, allowing the bud of the Lotus, at last, to burst open, the plant having matured and the murky waters having been left behind, similarly, although the grace of Arunachala is forever radiating, the knot of the heart ‘appears’ to remain tightly bound until the maturing effect of atma-vichara [i.e. Self-enquiry] purifies the mind effecting the irresistible pull towards the Heart-centre, its source. Then ... the boundless light of the Self shines, as universe complete, as always, as ever, as ‘I am I’. This is the dawn longed for and requested by the devotee. Grace is never conferred. It always is. When the devotee strives hard for realisation, thereby dispersing the cloud of mindstuff, boundless grace remains.” Excerpt From Arunachala Pancharatna Ramana Maharshi ht...